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News & Media Beech Bash to feature aerobatic Bonanza reunion

Beech Bash to feature aerobatic Bonanza reunion

Kentucky event expands food menu; seats remain available

April 9, 2026 By Jim Moore

Organizers expect up to a third of the roughly 30 aerobatic Beechcraft Bonanzas still in service will gather in Madisonville, Kentucky, April 23 to 26 for the fifth annual Beech Bash in the Bluegrass. A long weekend of camaraderie, food, concerts, airshows, and presentations by well-known aviators including current and former AOPA staff is planned for the 2026 edition.

Beechcraft owners will converge on Madisonville, Kentucky, for the fifth annual Beech Bash in the Bluegrass, held each spring since 2022. Photo courtesy of Sam Guirguis.
Beechcraft owners will converge on Madisonville, Kentucky, for the fifth annual Beech Bash in the Bluegrass, held each spring since 2022. Photo courtesy of Sam Guirguis.

Capacity is limited to 500 attendees, and Beech Bash founder Samuel Guirguis (aka the "Grand Poohbah") advised in an April 8 email that room remained for an additional 150 guests, based on roughly 350 reservations to date. Scott Perdue, host of the FlyWire YouTube channel, and fellow pilot and YouTube creator Juan Browne (aka Blancolirio) co-posted a preview of the event, at which both have speaking roles. Perdue is listed alone on the opening day lineup, though he may have deftly enlisted Browne to join him during the broadcast: "You and I are talking, and they're having pizza for everybody," Perdue said of the 6 p.m. social he is slated to host on April 23. (The pair are also scheduled to host an interactive discussion on April 25.)

The 2026 edition of the Beech Bash will be held, as it has been, at Madisonville Regional Airport, with shuttle service available to local attractions and for planned tours (separate registration required). Details can be found on a web-based app created for the event, which can be downloaded or used online with a web browser. The event app provides the full schedule at a glance, including meals. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided through Sunday morning, along with concerts, and aerial performances including a daytime airshow, an aerobatic demonstration by Jim Peitz flying his F33C Bonanza, and a night airshow with fireworks on April 25.

The speaker lineup features many luminaries, including American Bonanza Society Air Safety Foundation Executive Director Tom Turner, NASA astronaut Jay Apt, and others. AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Vice President (and Bonanza owner) Mike Ginter will speak at 2 p.m. on April 25, leading up to the first airshow. AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Dave Hirschman will give a presentation on aviation photography on April 23. AOPA Pilot columnist Catherine Cavagnaro's April 24 talk on aircraft control is eligible for FAA Wings credit, and former AOPA President Mark Baker will give a 4 p.m. talk titled "How to train your dragon (or fly your Baron)" on April 25.

Attendees may register through the app, or the event website. Tickets cost $125.

Photo courtesy of Sam Guirguis.
Jim Moore
Jim Moore
Managing Editor-Digital Media
Digital Media Managing Editor Jim Moore joined AOPA in 2011 and is an instrument-rated private pilot, as well as a certificated remote pilot, who enjoys competition aerobatics and flying drones.
Go to Jim Moore's Profile
Topics: Events, Training and Safety, Fly-in

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